Best sites to book vacations from Canada

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If you are poised for your next vacation and just need a plan, we can help. Of course, it’s convenient to do all your travel arrangements online but it can be overwhelming when you click the search menu to find so many options. 

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We know from experience, that some are better than others. So we looked into what seems to be working for people and which sites get top points for helping people DIY their holidays — and why.

While you could spend tons of time sorting through all the sites (comparing prices, upgrades, dates of travel etc.) the beauty of a good travel site is that it will wade through all of that in a fraction of the time.

A reliable travel site is not only a way to save time but also land the best deals. We’ve recently partnered with Priceline Partner Solutions to launch YourTravelDeals.ca, offering up to 50 per cent off over one million hotels worldwide. Sign-up is free and it’s a great place to start your search.

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We’re all about scoring the best prices available because, when it comes to making travel plans, we live by the mantra ‘spend less, travel more.’ 

Best travel booking sites in Canada

Expedia.ca: From Las Vegas to Vancouver, Expedia can help you build a trip tailored to you or sign you up for an all-inclusive vacation. Ask many travellers who book online and they will say they do it through this site. You will, as always, find people who aren’t happy with how things went but this company has absolutely established itself as a reliable resource.

Right now, Visit California and Expedia have a partnership that provides discounts of up to 25 per cent on over 1,000 California hotels, activities and attractions through a landing page made for Canadians.

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Vrbo.com: Whether you want a beach house rental, a place with a swimming pool or digs that take dogs, VRBO, which “has a place for everyone,” can hook you up. Houses, condos, cabins — take your pick.

Hotels.com: Free cancellations on most hotels, price guarantee and free reward night if you book 10 nights. Dig deep (we’re talking Hotels.com’s ‘secret deals’) and you can find savings on airfare/hotel packages or one or the other. 

Air Canada: You may not find the best deals, but booking directly with Air Canada can have its perks (though sometimes they have competitive prices). When you book through third-party sites, it could be difficult or infeasible to make alterations to your flight. When you book with Air Canada, you can at least speak directly with the airline. Of course, if you book a non-refundable flight, there’s likely not much that can be done anyway. 

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WestJet: WestJet may have more competitive prices than Air Canada, but your flight won’t come with as many bells and whistles. Air Canada has superior in-flight entertainment systems and food services.

Agoda.com: Vacation rentals, top Canadian destinations and holiday packages tailored to you. Like many companies, this one does attract some online haters. But we looked beyond that. It’s a legit company that books flights and accommodations worldwide, with a lot turning to Agoda for travels to Asia. Customers love the so-called secret deals (they say you can find it in a tab next to the filtering options) for deep discounts on luxury accommodations. They recently added an activities tab to their site. I searched my city and was impressed. It gave me the attractions one might expect plus info on transportation and a few off-the-beaten-path ideas.

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Booking.com: This full-service holiday package planner’s main page is full of inspiration and input from fellow travellers. Find hotel accommodations, business apartments, trains, planes, rental cars and airport taxis on this site which seems to do a lot of catering to business travellers, too. We booked an entire vacation using this site — read our review.

Choice Hotels Canada:Over 7,000 locations globally and more than 2.6 million comments on experiences from travellers who booked through these folks. They can absolutely find you a luxury hotel but many people opt for choice hotels because it’s great at finding budget-friendly places to stay.

Looking for feedback from fellow tourist-types

TripAdvisor: If you have never turned to TripAdvisor and you travel, we can safely say, you absolutely should. The “world’s largest travel platform has more than 859 million reviews and opinions of 8.6 million accommodations, restaurants, experiences, airlines and cruises.” Find out what your fellow travellers think to help you map out your trip.

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Buyer beware: sites to avoid 

Jetcost: We recently had several extremely negative experiences with Jetcost (a platform that we used to use regularly). The last few times we tried booking flights through Jetcost it seems like it was a scam. The first time we purchased flight tickets through the platform for specific dates we immediately received tickets for other dates that we didn’t select. When we spoke to a representative, they said that the flight we purchased was unavailable so they automatically booked us in for different dates.

Cheapair.ca: Sounds too good to be true. And in this case, perhaps it is. We looked into dozens of reviews and found most travellers who booked with this company would never again.

Looking for adventure

Contiki Tours: This company offers social travel tours for young adults aged 18 – 35 with an itch for adventure. Read a review of our Contiki experience.

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Gadventures.com: From Japan to Morocco, Cambodia and Australia, this company has 750 tours available in more than 100 countries. We have friends who love it and the online reviews give G Adventures a thumbs up.

Insight Vacations: As a sister company of Contiki, Insight Vacations offers premium travel experiences for all age groups. They’ve recently launched their Women-Only Tours, made for women, by women. Read a review of our Insight Vacations experience.

Trafalgar: This company offers hundreds of tours to destinations we’ve only dreamed of. They always seem to have some kind of deal featured, so act fast if you see something on sale that interests you. Read a review of our Trafalgar experience.

Prefer to drive? 

Start where you are and see where the road takes you. Vrbo has some great destination ideas here and find out more to ensure you’re roadworthy and ready-to-go— and don’t forget to pack snacks. 

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Resources to make planning go more smoothly 

The Government of Canada’s site has the latest travel information here.

Some budget-friendly tips for booking your next vacation 

Highlights from the Expedia 2024 Travel Hacks report:

• Domestic flights: For the best prices, book flights at least a month in advance. Travelers that booked 28 days prior to departure saved 24 per cent on average compared to those who waited until the last minute.
• International flights: For the best prices, book flights around 60 days out, and no earlier than four months in advance. Travelers who booked 60 days out saved around 10 per cent compared to those that booked further out, as average ticket prices peaked around four months from departure.  
• Best day to book: The best day to book your flight is Sunday. You can save about 5 per cent on domestic and international economy flights. Savings are even bigger for business class flights, at 7 per cent for domestic and a whopping 24 per cent for international.
• When to fly: The report recommends to depart on a Thursday to save up to 16 per cent. Avoid departing on Sundays, which are the priciest days, on average, to start a trip. It also recommends flying before 3:00 p.m. to reduce the risk of flight cancellations.

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Looking for savings on your next hotel stay? We’ve partnered with Priceline Partner Solutions to launch YourTravelDeals.ca, offering up to 50 per cent off over one million hotels worldwide. Sign up for free here.

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